Happy Birthday Mickey! Disney Releases Heartfelt Tribute to the Mouse That Started It All

“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing—that it was all started by a mouse.”

And with those words, Walt Disney reminded us all that all that we see, do, and love about the Walt Disney Company begins with a simple cartoon mouse. And today, we wish Mickey Mouse a happy 95th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, Walt Disney Studios released a heartful tribute to Mickey for his years of service and love and for becoming a beloved American icon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2_feq9s9l8

Mickey’s Beginnings

Just before the release of Steamboat Willie, the Walt Disney Animation Studios was nearly bankrupt. Walt Disney’s first creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, had been stolen by the distributor and most of Walt’s animators. To save his company, Walt came up with Mortimer the Mouse. Walt created two cartoon shorts for Mortimer but could not find a distributor, so they were only seen by test audiences.

Walt’s wife, Lilly, convinced him to change his character’s name to Mickey Mouse, and thus came the creation of an American icon. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks co-directed Steamboat Willie. Iwerks was also the creative genius behind the drawing of the icon mouse. For their latest creation, he would make subtle changes to Mickey’s look, creating the icon character we know today.

Related: Disney at 100. How Two Brothers And Their Movie Studio Took Over the Entertainment World

Steamboat Willie would be the first cartoon with a soundtrack synced to the film’s action. On November 18, 1928, Steamboat Willie and Mickey Mouse would hit the screen for the first time. It was an instant hit. Audiences had only begun to hear music and dialogue in movies, with the first film to talk, The Jazz Singer (1927), released just a year earlier. Mickey Mouse was an instant hit.

The success of Steamboat Willie would allow Walt Disney Animation Studios to have the financial and creative freedom to create some of the most iconic films in American history. But without Mickey Mouse paving the way, there would have never been a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940) or Dumbo (1941). But this wouldn’t be the last we’d see of Mickey Mouse.

Feature Debut

Walt Disney continued to use Mickey Mouse in short films, but his feature film debut would solidify Mickey as a cultural icon. In 1940, Mickey Mouse took on the role of the Sourcer’s Apprentice in Fantasia (1940). The film was a hit with the audience and a technical marvel for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Mickey trying to control the dancing brooms with buckets of water has become one of the most iconic scenes in American film history.

After his feature film debut, Mickey Mouse slowly started to fade away. He continued appearing in short films, but Walt Disney Animation switched its focus to feature-length films telling new stories in the post-war years. But television would help to introduce a new generation to Mickey Mouse. He became the namesake of the popular Mickey Mouse’s Clubhouse and continued appearing in shorts alongside Minnie Mouse and his pal, Pluto.

In 1988, Mickey Mouse appeared alongside his longtime rival, Bugs Bunny, in Who Framed Roger Rabit (1988). It marked a shift in Mickey Mouse’s popularity, which had waned over the years. Audiences were reminded of the character they fell in love with all those years earlier.

Cultural Icon

There are very few people on Earth who cannot identify Mickey Mouse. Since his debut 95 years ago, he has morphed into a symbol for the Walt Disney Company and America. He’s the first character we rush to see when we walk into the Magic Kingdom or Disneyland. His image is on at least one piece of merchandise that every Disney fan owns.

It is impossible to understate just how important Mickey Mouse is to all of this. As Walt said, “It all started with a mouse.” And in some ways, it was that simple.

Happy Birthday, Mickey. Here’s to the next 95 years.